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Determinants for preventive oral health care need among community‐dwelling older people: a population‐based study
Author(s) -
Komulainen Kaija,
Ylöstalo Pekka,
Syrjälä AnnaMaija,
Ruoppi Piia,
Knuuttila Matti,
Sulkava Raimo,
Hartikainen Sirpa
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
special care in dentistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.328
H-Index - 41
eISSN - 1754-4505
pISSN - 0275-1879
DOI - 10.1111/scd.12021
Subject(s) - medicine , odds ratio , dentures , preventive care , gerontology , population , multidisciplinary approach , health care , family medicine , environmental health , dentistry , social science , pathology , sociology , economics , economic growth
The aim was to study the determinants of preventive oral health care need among community‐dwelling old people. The study population consisted of 165 participants, a subpopulation in the Geriatric Multidisciplinary Strategy for Good Care of Elderly People (GeMS) study. Fifty‐five percent of the edentate participants with full dentures and 82% of the dentate had a need for preventive oral health care. In the total study population, the need for preventive care was associated with co‐morbidity (measured by means of the Modified Functional Co‐morbidity Index) odds ratios (OR) 1.2 (confidence intervals [CI] 1.0–1.5), being pre‐frail or frail, OR 2.5 (CI 1.2–5.1), presence of natural teeth, OR 4.8 (CI 2.2–10.4), and among dentate participants, the use of a removable partial denture, OR 12.8 (CI 1.4–114.4). Primary care clinicians should be aware of the high need for preventive care and the importance of nonoral conditions as determinants of preventive oral health care need.